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- Thread starter Ritter667
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- fingers fingers vs pick pick
Someone plays finger style for 20 years. They grab a pick and 5 minutes later can’t play as well as the technique they used their whole lives. They immediately decide that using a pick sucks and because they can’t do it, it’s stupid.
That about sums up most people’s objections to playing with a pick.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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yup. For example if I know there are certain songs in any given set list that require a pick (Lido Shuffle, Our lips are sealed, Mr. Brownstone, Whipping Post, various Beatles songs, etc.) I'll make sure to bring THAT particular bass. Honestly my Japanese '91 Fender PB57 (57 style) Precision Bass sounds much better with a pick than my Lakland 5501 does.
Of course it makes sense that a particular bass might sound better when picked than plucked (fingerstyle) -- or vice versa. I started out fingerstyle only, but I'm a rocker who enjoys bright bass tones. So I chose brighter-sounding basses, most with maple boards, and these basses sometimes lacked girth when played pickstyle. I've also played basses that sounded wonderful when using a pick, but too warm when playing fingerstyle. EQ can be a solution, but most of us prefer to get our desired tones from the bass itself rather than having to adjust EQ/strings/electronics to get there.
Fingers vs pick is in the same category as swapping strings and/or electronics. Example: back in my modding days I retrofitted the classic EMG active PJ set in a few basses. I was unconditionally thrilled with the result with one bass, but disappointed when installing in another. The same can be true with string sets. It's all in the synergy of the particular combination of tones: of the bass, its pickups/electronics, the strings.... and the technique used on it.
It's often a matter of degree. I've been working on my pickstyle technique the past few years, and have discovered that my basses generally sound great either way (even if I have a preference, it's not significant). But I still do encountere basses where I have a distinct preference for one technique over another.
Fingers vs pick is in the same category as swapping strings and/or electronics. Example: back in my modding days I retrofitted the classic EMG active PJ set in a few basses. I was unconditionally thrilled with the result with one bass, but disappointed when installing in another. The same can be true with string sets. It's all in the synergy of the particular combination of tones: of the bass, its pickups/electronics, the strings.... and the technique used on it.
It's often a matter of degree. I've been working on my pickstyle technique the past few years, and have discovered that my basses generally sound great either way (even if I have a preference, it's not significant). But I still do encountere basses where I have a distinct preference for one technique over another.
I sometimes notice a difference -- usually slight, but regardless, I do not change my technique from one bass to another. In my Cheap Trick tribute band I'm primarily pickstyle. For all my other bands, I'm primarily fingerstyle. Bass(es) used is not part of the equation.
Point is, I match my technique to the song, not the instrument. That said, I'm much better at fingerstyle than pickstyle. I can't play "Mr Brownstone" pickstyle, so I do it fingerstyle even though it would sound a bit better with a pick. But I can play "Slither" pickstyle, so I always do that.
I am technique agnostic. Both finger and pick require finesse, and both can create a broad range of sounds depending on how/where you strike the string (not to mention pick material). So as with most things art, do whatever gets the sound you or the person subsidizing your art wants.
Personally, I've never noticed that a particular bass works better with one style over the other. However, I do have instruments that I use for particular sounds, and those sounds may necessitate the use of a particular technique (e.g., P-Bass with foam through DI played fingerstyle for thumpy R&B stuff, or P-Bass with pick through SVT for rock tones.)
Personally, I've never noticed that a particular bass works better with one style over the other. However, I do have instruments that I use for particular sounds, and those sounds may necessitate the use of a particular technique (e.g., P-Bass with foam through DI played fingerstyle for thumpy R&B stuff, or P-Bass with pick through SVT for rock tones.)
While I replied with "nonsense" to this there is some truth to the first sentence: "Fingers tend to increase positional flexibility and note selection.".
It's not entirely true, but it is true that string skipping is immediately easier utilizing finger style, and that, on the other hand, fast single note plucking is immediately easier utilizing a pick, when I say immediately, and why the quoted sentence isn't entirely true, is that with proper practice this ought to not really be a limiting issue.
Truth is that the whole pick versus fingers is mainly a question about tone.
There are ways to approximate finger style tone with a pick, as there are ways to approximate pick style tone with your fingers, but it remains an imitation and doesn't really sound like the real deal respectively.
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Every bass I’ve owned sounds equally good plucked or picked. It does require a different EQ setting in most cases, and some are better suited for one or the other.
Your opinion doesn't change or counter mine.
I am fine with you having a different opinion. I started with a pick and dropped it after it failed to get the sound, tone and feel I wanted. Fingers got me there and I noticed easier movement plucking across the strings.
Even went through the stage of felt picks, shape and thickness changes, all down strokes as opposed to 2 way playing and nothing, repeat nothing, sounded as good or natural as playing with fingers.
My choice and now, unwavering.
The voicing of your amp amp and/or cab can also be factor. I normally prefer to pluck closer to the bridge than neck. However I have one amp in particular that sounds great if I pluck closer to the neck. Sometimes I forget and play in my normal plucking position, and it takes me awhile to figure out why it doesn't sound quite right.
I'm an old time two-fingers guy, although I've used as many as four on some tunes. I had a brief adventure with an instrumental surf music band, which was all played with a pick. Not a problem, really. As the late Joe Osborne (a pick player through and through) said: "The told me the bass should be felt and not heard. I wanted to be heard!
IMHO individual preferences are entirely valid.
I am primarily a finger-style player, but I will slap or use a pick when I think it better suits the song. I normally play everything on the same bass guitar. Although I feel that using one bass exclusively is somewhat of a compromise, for me the benefit of switching bass guitars on a gig is generally not worth the extra complication and hassle. However, I used to switch between bass guitar, electric upright, and acoustic upright with a pickup. The electric upright (EUB) sounded more like a fretless bass guitar than and acoustic upright. Part of my rationale for getting the EUB was I wanted a fretless sound. I could never get comfortable on fretless BG, but felt at home on the EUB the first time I played it.
I played acoustic upright in both jazz and classical styles. An upright that excels at classical arco will typically not produce a great modern jazz pizz sound (and vice-versa). The last upright I played professionally was much better suited to classical.
The bass or the pick?
I had one of those all-maple Squier VM P basses (now rare), which was horrible with a pick and great with fingers. So out the door it went.
When I learnt bass in the 60's, it was with a guitar pick. from 1985 until recently , I used a fretless with a pick and my fingers for strict tempo dance music through to heavy rock - depends on the song because a fretless with heavy roundwounds can sound like anything you want - just change the style of playing and the EQ
